


Home is whenever I'm with you.

by sadandsarcastic



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: And angsty, Angst, BAMF!Stiles, F/M, Fluff, Hunter!Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rejection, Rome - Freeform, Training, Undefined Relationship, Vampires, allison - Freeform, hunters council, its really cute, just read please, lotta good shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-16 06:57:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadandsarcastic/pseuds/sadandsarcastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Isaac makes Stiles feel less than, Stiles  runs off to Rome with Allison for the summer. Yet when Stiles comes back as an independent BAMF Hunter, Isaac wonders if he'll ever get his clumbsy, sarcastic, sensitive (not) boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vampires aren't the things killing Stiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so this is basically my first multi-chaptered fic. I hope you enjoy. LEAVE A DAMN KUDOS IF YOU THINK ITS GOOD.
> 
> More to come in the next couple of days.   
> 6/26/13

“Go Home.” He repeated.   
Stiles stopped walking and paused. “What?” He said. Clearly Stiles had understood what Isaac just said but he wanted to make sure. 

“Stiles just go home.” Isaac said without turning towards him. He knew that it would hurt Stiles. That his rejection would drive him away. That was the point. To send Stiles home in a sharp quick argument so that whatever happened tonight he would be left out of it. It was for the best. It was that and the lack of sleep that made Isaac so bitter to the boy. But tomorrow he would go and apologize and everything would be simple and sweet as it was before. 

Derek and the whole pack, including Scott and Lydia, stood waiting for the situation to be resolved. Stiles shook his head. It was slight and barely noticeable, but Isaac could tell that he was mad.

It was things like this that Isaac had been able to notice about Stiles. The boy would tap his fingers when he was impatient, he would sigh when he was disappointed, and his eyes would flick when he was excited. The shaking of the head for Stiles meant he was done. Isaac silently hoped that Stiles wouldn’t get too worked up about this. But it was Stiles. He always managed to overthink everything. 

A sharp loud cry erupted from the forest that did not sound remotely human. It broke the tension.   
“We need to go. The vampires are going to be here soon.” Derek said before shifting and running into the woods. The other betas reluctantly followed, including Scott. Lydia took off in her car. Leaving Isaac and Stiles standing there. 

“Fine.” Stiles said. Isaac knew that was a death sentence. He knew that when Stiles didn’t use his words that he was worked up over something. Now it was Isaac. 

The werewolf gave a remorseful look and took off after the rest of his pack. That’s what it has become. He was pack. Not Stiles.   
The lanky boy dragged his feet to his car and pulled himself into the driver’s seat. He was useful. Or at least he thought he was useful. Maybe he wasn’t. He couldn’t fight. He didn’t have any supernatural powers. He wasn’t smart like Lydia either. 

Then the idea dawned on him. 

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the recent callers list. A smirk formed when he found the name he was looking for. 

Pressing the green button on his phone he pushed it to his ear.  
“I’m in.” He said. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Isaac had barely gotten any sleep that night. He counted only two hours when he finally woke up. Derek’s loft had become his new home. Well, legally his new home. He usually spent most of his time at Stiles. 

The werewolf couldn’t remember what had incited the Stiles and Isaac love affair. He could just blame it on lonely Friday nights and Stiles abundance of entertainment at his house. Or maybe it was the Sheriff’s fondness of the orphaned boy, so when he saw Isaac sleeping on the floor in Stiles room for the first time he acted as if nothing was different. Isaac liked that about Stile’s father. He had given up on trying to make everything so complicated. 

Then, just as evolution states, after spending far too many hours with one another; after school, on the weekends, at pack meetings. Stiles made a move. It was subtle. Super subtle. 

Isaac was mad at Stiles for something, and he was threatening the boy. (As if Isaac would actually pull through with half of his threats.) He had broken the invisible barrier that was usually between the two of them, and crowded into Stiles space. Maybe trying to test his newfound dominance and aggression with him. Then, right in the middle of a sentence that was meant to convey how ‘annoying’ Isaac thought Stiles was. Stiles did it. Pecked his lips onto Isaac’s. Only lips. Then he proceeded to push Isaac off of him and he sat on the floor and continued to play videos as if nothing had happened. Things only escalated from there. A peck turned into a kiss. Then a small make out session, and then onward to a big make out session. Yet neither of them dared sex. Isaac was simply not willing, While Stiles was completely and utterly unready. It was an unspoken agreement. 

But they were not dating. No. It was friends with benefits. Two guys who went on not!dates and ate dinner together. Completely platonic. 

So Isaac had given Stiles the night to himself. Maybe a night to cool off, and sort of give one another space. It took a lot of self-control to resist climbing up his window and being in the presence of him. It was only right to do that. 

The curly haired boy rolled out of his bed and showered quickly. He waved to Derek who was brooding by the windows. Then he was jogging his way to Stiles house.   
But when he made it to the roof there was something wrong. 

Stiles’ window was shut completely and the blinds were drawn. Usually the boy had it at least cracked (Even if it was pouring rain). 

Isaac growled as he attempted to pull it open but found that it was locked. Why was it locked too? The boy leapt from the roof to the backyard and rummaged through the back porch for the spare key to the back door. Stiles had always told him he left one in case he ever wanted to use the front door. Isaac hated using the front door. It meant that he would have to confront his dad, and as nice and cool as he was, Sheriff Stilinski was awkward whenever it came to talking to Isaac. A lot of ‘How’s it going?’ that Isaac couldn’t necessarily answer with a “Making out with your son, and being a werewolf has been cool lately.”  
That aside Isaac did already check for the police cruiser which was not parked in the driveway so he was in the clear for back door entrance. (No, not like that!!!) 

Once the door was open he was hit with the familiar scent of the Stilinski abode. It smelled like brown sugar and wood. A smell that Isaac had learned to enjoy. Yet once his feet were to the stairs and he was footsteps away from Stiles room he smelled a new smell. It smelled like sadness and traced with a little bit of panic. 

The tall boy pushed open the door and began talking. His eyes were glued to the floor when he began talking.  
“I’m sorry about last night. It’s just I didn’t want you to get hurt because you matter to me and-“ But looking up the room was empty. No Stiles in sight. His bed was made, his laptop was gone, and his dresser was cleared of any clothes. It was the beginning of summer? Where could Stiles be?  
_______________________________________________________________________________-  
Isaac tried to track the smell but all ties ended at Allison’s house, which was unusually dark and empty. (Believe him, He checked.) So Isaac ran to Derek’s loft, and when he pulled open the door the pack was already present. Standing and sitting all the couch. 

“Stiles is gone.” Isaac said. His voice shook, he couldn’t tell if it was from anger or from fear. 

“We know.” Derek said motioning his hands to Boyd, Scott, Lydia, and Erica who looking back at him. 

“Do you know where he is?” Isaac said. 

“Rome.” Lydia said. She pushed her phone to Isaac’s face and showed him the post. It was on instagram, it was a picture of Stiles sleeping, resting his head on Allison’s shoulder. They were on an airplane. She had posed and it was captioned, “Goodbye Beacon Hills, Hello Rome!”. 

“Rome.” Isaac said pulling a hand through his hair. His stomach hurt, and his chest clenched. He had lost Stiles. 

His emotions must have conveyed on his face because Lydia spoke again. “It’s just until the end of summer.”  
Scott spoke next. “Allison’s dad asked Stiles a while back. Chris felt bad about Gerard kidnapping him, and with one spot open Stiles had the chance to go. Stiles denied obviously, but he must have chased them down last night and went with them before they left.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Isaac said, his eyes flickering gold. 

“Because Isaac. We knew how you would get.” Erica said. “You’ve got some bad separation anxiety. And until this picture,” She pointed to Lydia’s phone. “We thought he wasn’t going. So there was no need to get worked up over something.”  
Isaac laughed in his head. He worried about Stiles getting worked up, and now he was. 

“It’s not like you two were together anyway.” Boyd added which received a warning slap from Erica.

“Well it’s true!” He responded. 

It was true. Isaac had no reason to get angry because he was the one that drove him away. He told Stiles he was less than, and Stiles took off because Isaac hurt him.


	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles comes home from Rome with more than pictures and unwritten post-cards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idgaf what you think about my grammatical errors. Notes at the end.

The summer passed by slow. It consisted of the supernatural nonsense that Beacon Hills was so accustomed too. Isaac knew his creature alphabet backwards and forwards, partially because he was in a near death situation with each and every one of them.

But the only difference was that there was no Stiles. No not!dates, No video game nights, No make out sessions,  No waking up to the sound of Stiles tripping down the hall. Isaac hadn’t even seen the Sheriff.

He had meant to call Stiles phone frequently but after the first 16 missed calls Isaac figured that Stiles was having too much fun in Rome to think about him.  He stopped calling.

The only line of communication that Isaac had with Stiles was Lydia, who would announce Stiles and Allison’s trek to famous sights. Late at night, Isaac’s eyes would linger on the pictures of Stiles on his facebook. There were only a couple from the huge album that Stiles had made that had his face in them. Yet even with those pictures it was hard to see his face.  He looked different. Happier.

Derek would try to attempt to take Isaac’s mind off of the mole covered boy but it was useless. Even full moons were anti-climactic. They happened, and they were over, and Isaac would always find himself on Sheriff Stilinski’s front lawn when he woke up after the shift. Even his wolf missed Stiles.

His life became routine after 4 weeks. He hunted and protected Beacon Hills from the real monsters, He went to Pack Nights, He ate food, He slept, and He would occasionally visit Scott.

Scott was in the same boat as Isaac. After Allison and Scott called it off he sort of just moped around. Then she left for Rome and Scott struggled with his emotions for her. So Isaac and Scott sat in his room and just wallowed in both of their self-grief.

Yet when a pack of Demons left a trail of dead bodies across Beacon Hills, Isaac and Scott were on call, along with the rest of the pack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had wandered through the forest for half an hour following the scent of blood. It had led the to the small river that runs through the town.

“They should be around here. Keep on look out.” Derek said. He shifted and so did the rest of the pack. All of them stalked the bank of the muddy shore until Erica had made a discovery.

They were there at the river, about 10 of them. Demons held the same appearance that they did when they were human, but the only difference was their dark black eyes. Once the demons took note of them it had started the chaos. They charged and were met by a wave of wolves. Jackson was fighting two of them and Scott had several more. Isaac took only two out, but they seemed to be multiplying. Soon Isaac had gashes and claw marks on his furry skin and he knew his energy was wearing low. Then with a fatal blow to his head he was knocked to the ground. Face to face with a Demon, foam dripped out of its mouth and it smelled like sulfur.  It raised one morphed claw-hand into the air, ready to strike a fatal blow to Isaac’s throat. Yet before it could slash down, an arrow had struck through its palm. Then another arrow struck through its head and it was on the floor.

The other wolves were in the same position, all struggling with the demons who had the upper hand. Isaac was about to get up and help his other pack mates but then he heard a deafening sound that brought him to his knees. He opened his eyes to see the Demons begin to flock away from the pack and towards the noise. It was attracting them.

The noise came from a whistle, which was held by a boy. He was tall, and his hair was grown. He had golden skin and a toned body, even underneath a t shirt and black skinny jeans. He wore combat boots that matched the sling of weapons that hung from his shoulder. It was Stiles.

“Stiles look out!” Scott yelled as a Demon had lunged for him.

But in one swift movement Stiles evaded the attack and pushed the Demon to the floor. He pulled back and jabbed a knife about the size of his forearm into its face. As more and more demons began to charge at him Stiles began to work quicker and quicker. He seemed to have eyes all around him as he began to slice and cut with precision. Each time decapitating a new demon who would fall to the floor.

The last demon left, who was presumably the leader had taken off running. Its feet pounding against the floor as it flailed its arms. Stiles pulled a pistol from his boot and aimed sharply.

One. Two. Three. Shots were made into the demon’s head. All erupting through its skull making it fall to the floor like the rest of them.

Stiles smiled and put the gun back.

The pack was stunned. Well, everyone except for Derek who sort of just stared emotionless. Scott was the first to his feet, not bothering to brush off the dirt that had gathered around his shoes. Scott stumbled and tripped over to Stiles where he tackled him. The weight of Scott should have been enough to send Stiles to the floor but Stiles just held his weight, he barely even shifted. It was until the rest of the betas were tripping over themselves to tackle into the massive hug that Stiles fell to the floor. Even Derek. The only one missing was Isaac who sort of stalked to the group but didn’t join. 

“Miss me?” Stiles asked.

“Totally, I don’t think I could take another crappy pizza. We had nothing to eat!” Erica said.

“Pack meetings were a mess too.” Scott said.

“No they weren’t.” Derek said as everyone parted from the boy. 

“Yeah they were! Plus, there was that clan of witches that came around and none of us knew how to research. Well correctly.”  Scott said. But his eyes trailed away from Stiles and went somewhere off into the distance. He was looking at Allison who stood farther behind Stiles.

“How did you get so badass?” Erica said high fiving Stiles.

“Stiles!” Allison called. She wore the same attire that Stiles had on. The only difference was the bow and arrow in her hand, and the sheath on her back. “We gotta get going.”

“Get going?” Isaac finally spoke. “You just got here.” His voice was edgy, maybe a little mad.

Stiles frowned at the sight of Isaac. It was quickly replaced by a small smile but Isaac definitely saw the frown.

“I uhh. We haven’t gone home yet. We just got back from the airport. Rome has got this wicked time change which means that I am running on absolutely no sleep. I haven’t seen my dad yet either, and when I talked to him on the phone he told me he took a shift off just for my homecoming. I don’t want to keep him waiting that long.” Stiles finished. “But I’ll see you guys soon.” _Soon._ Soon didn’t mean tomorrow, or even the day after that. Soon meant that Stiles wanted space. Isaac wasn’t going to let him leave again, even if he was standing right there.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Isaac said. He was pleading now. He hadn’t seen Stiles in a month, and now he looks completely changed.

“N-no actually. My stuff is already in Allison’s car… and Mr. Argent wanted to catch up with my dad too…” Stiles said, his eyes went from Isaac’s to the floor. “S’ time for me to go.”

“STILES!” Allison called again.

With a wave Stiles was half running half jogging towards Allison. He looped his elbow around hers and they walked back the way they came.

“He smells like them. The Argents.” Derek says.

 

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 Stiles lifted his bags from the trunk. He noted that he came back with an extra black duffle bag. Maybe his dad wouldn’t notice its presence. Yet even if he did he would just see clothes. It was what was hidden underneath and through the clothes that would get him in trouble.  So he held it underneath the other roller ones that he was pulling behind him.

 His dad came through the front door and Stiles pushed his luggage to the side. He pulled his dad in for a hug.  The sturdy man had been going grey for the last couple of months. Now his hair  was completely grey.

“Hey son.” He said patting Stiles on the back.

“Hov’ you been?” Stiles said. “The house looks like it’s in good shape still. Wait. Do I smell pizza? Dad. Come on we have a menu plan and you were supposed to stick with it. Sometimes I think-“

“Sheriff Stilinski.” Chris said reaching out his hand.

“Chris.” He responding shaking the hand.

Stiles eyes swapped between the two. He grabbed his bags and continued inside.  Leaving the two men alone.

“How did he do?” The sheriff asked as he wiped his palms on his jacket. 

“He’s a grade A student, John. Top Notch. He was one of the best that I’ve ever trained.”

“Did they recruit him afterwards?” He asked.

“No, actually. The council in Rome are far more strict than we are here. They saw his connections to the wolves, and they immediately dismissed him.” The Argent said. “He was pretty crushed, but I think he’s getting over it.”

“Well, unfortunately I’m glad they didn’t.” He said sounding relieved. “A kid like Stiles has no place in things like that.”

“I could always recruit him in the states? Allison trusts Stiles, and it’s hard to find hunting chemistry like what they have.”

“No.” His voice was more firm. “Stiles is staying out of it. I let him have his fun this summer, the lord knows that boy needed it. If he chooses to be with the pack then that’s okay. But I don’t need the council after him. They are far worse. His hunting career is done.”

“I agree.” Chris said, and with that the men said their goodbyes and Chris drove away quietly.

“Stiles!” Isaac said. His voice was a whisper. He found himself crouched against the window, which was still shut. The blinds were shut so Isaac could only see the outline of a slim boy in the room. When he received no response, He tapped harder.

If one of his neighbors were casually strolling down the street they would see this funny picture. Isaac hunched over trying to get Stiles attention.

Isaac huffed. Stiles was trying to play hard to get. He was trying to put off a conversation that they needed to have. Well, that Isaac needed to have more or less.

“Stiles!” He tried again, but he received no response.

How could he not hear Isaac? He was knocking on his window and practically yelling his name into it. His room wasn’t soundproof? Was it?

So Isaac, being utterly stubborn, sat on the roof and settled between a stack of unset shingles. He rested his head on his hand as he just watched the silhouettes of the boy. Stiles as unpacking, well, more like slamming things into his dresser and pushing the luggage into his closet. When he was done he turned off his light and fell into his bed, barely making it to the pillows that rested at one end.

Isaac had enough. He extended a claw and began to cut his way through the metal that barred his window shut. Then, once it was cut away, he quietly pulled open the window. 

Stiles was laying in his bed. Shirtless.  Any other night this would be a subject of Isaac’s fantasies but not tonight. Also, the boy was making whale noises that could possibly be snoring so that killed the moment too.

If Stiles didn’t want to see Isaac then Isaac would just loom over him while he slept like a little Edward Cullen. Stiles would make a good Bella, Isaac thought. Well maybe not anymore. He made silent footsteps towards the bed. His eyes raked over Stiles’ body.

He was toned, abs and biceps and all. His hair frayed wildly, and Isaac was momentarily distracted by its new presence. It was light brown, even in the moonlight. Just like the boy’s eyes. His skin was tan too, which puzzled the wolf because Isaac had always whined that he was unable to stand in the sun for a long time without burning into a red lobster. But there were marks that only Isaac could see if he focused with his werewolf eyes. Some were short, and some were long lines, all faded and white due to them healing but the traces were still there. They were scars. Barely noticeable to the human eye. They ran from his arms to the tips of his hips. Hundreds of them.

Isaac didn’t realize that he was leaning onto the bed but he didn’t care. His eyes traced up Stiles spine to the back of his neck, and then to his lips. His lips were still the same. Still a light pink, still slightly rugged but Isaac never cared. He went for it. He dipped his head towards the human’s, but before Isaac could make contact Stiles woke up. Panic seized over the boy as his blindly grabbed Isaac shoulders and pushed him into the wall in one quick movement. Stiles had become so graceful, nothing like his clumsy self that would trip on himself.

Stiles had an elbow shoved into Isaac’s throat keeping him in place. Even with his werewolf powers he was stuck against the wall.

When the boy realized it was Isaac he immediately pulled off of him. This pressure that built up in Isaac’s throat caused him to hack and cough.

“Shit! Isaac! I didn’t mean to-“ Stiles began as he rushed to the bent over werewolf.

“No, no-“ Isaac  started until he began to cough again. “Sorry I was looming.” He finally managed to stutter out.

Stiles had left Isaac’s side and quickly pulled a shirt over his head. Then he grabbed a cup of water that sat on his dresser and handed it to Isaac. Isaac took the cup from him, noticing that their hands brushed together and sucked it down in one gulp.

Once they both were settled down they just tensiously stared at one another. It was the first time they had been in a close proximity since Stiles was back. Isaac smiled which caused a grin on the other boy. They both began to laugh at the situation that had just unfolded itself.

_Isaac got whooped by Stiles._

But at some point Isaac stopped laughing because he felt bad. Stiles wasn’t weak. He may have been the human but he was so much stronger than any of us, mentally before, and maybe even physically now. In Isaac’s mind he just always saw Stiles as the lanky kid that was used as bait and ended up getting hurt.

“I’m sorry.” Isaac said.  Stiles lips were drawn into a fine line. He didn’t respond immediately which made Isaac nervous. Usually Stiles always had something to say. 

“It’s fine.” Stiles said. He leaned back until he was laying on the bed, then he pulled Isaac’s wrist until he was settled next to him. One of the boys arms swung around the other and their legs tangled. Isaac was mostly on Stiles, seeing as he had his head tucked into the crook of the human’s neck.

“You don’t smell like you.” Isaac said, his words muffled into his skin.

“I guess I don’t.” Stiles said. His voice was rough. He began to drag his fingers through the other boy’s hair.

“I’ve missed you.” Isaac said.

“I missed you too.”

But Stiles wasn’t sure what Isaac meant by that. Did he miss the old Stiles? Could he tell that Stiles now was far worse? Already? Stiles had too many dark memories that he would keep locked away in his head. If anyone knew what he had to do. They would miss the old Stiles too.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stiles was gone by the time Isaac had woken up. The only trace of the boy was the soft indentation that was left on his side of the bed. For some reason Stiles always wanted the left side of the  bed, it was the side that did not face the wall.

_“I need to make sure that you’re not going to leave me when I wake up.” Stiles said softy as he climbed over Isaac’s torso. The werewolf only grumbled in return, obliging and rolling towards the side of the bed that laid flush to the wall._

_“I’m not going to leave.”_

Isaac smiled at the memory, times were simpler then.

The boy got up from the bed, and stumbled lightly across the room until he made it to the window. He managed to climb out of the small space but the sight below him surprised him. He let his feet dangle off the side of the roof as he watched Stiles.

Stiles was standing, visibly exhausted, about 15 feet from the base of the tree that sat in their backyard. He held a set of knives that were small enough to fit hidden in the palm of his hand. In swift movements he swing his arm forward and the knives would bury themselves  in the sharp bark.

Isaac observed for a few minutes. The human worked so gracefully, each knife through would get progressively higher on the tree trunk.

Isaac soon got bored and jumped down from the shingles. His feet landed with a loud thud against the grass, and when he gained his posture a knife was buried into the drywall the was behind him.

Stiles almost stabbed him.

The sheer surprise on Isaac’s face was partnered with an angry accusation. 

“What the hell Stiles!” Isaac yelled. Stiles was turned to him no, his face clear of any emotions. “You could have stabbed me!”

“I thought you were someone else!” Stiles yelled back. His eyebrows began to furrow. “And anyways why are you sneaking up on me while I’m training?”

It was not necessarily the reaction that Isaac expected from the boy.

“Why are you throwing knives?” Isaac asked pointing to the ones in his hands.

“It’s nothing. Just a pass time that I picked up overseas. You should go.”

“What’s the big deal? I’m not bothering you.” The curly haired boy said back. His voice was back to normal sound.

Stiles took three steps towards Isaac. Almost as a threat.

“Listen Isaac. You can’t hang around when I’m doing this. I get in a mind-set. It’s what I was taught to do. I don’t think it’s the best idea for you to be here right now.” Stiles said. “Maybe you should go home.”

“Why are you acting like you’re an argent? Are you a hunter?” The werewolf asked again.

But Stiles just turned his back and continued throwing the knives. No answer.

“I’m not leaving here until you tell me what’s going on.” Isaac said sitting on the cement that was the stilinski’s porch.

Isaac laughed in his head. _Go home_. Those were the same words that he used against him not only months ago. When Isaac stayed put, Stiles continued training until Isaac finally had decided to leave. He didn’t even say goodbye to him. Stiles lack of reassurance made the werewolf nervous. This was a new Stiles, but was this a better Stiles?

Lydia watched as Isaac collapsed on the couch. He sighed loudly and covered his face with his arms. The pack found themselves at Derek’s loft more often than they really expected to be.  Lydia hadn’t meant to be around the pack a lot. If it were up to her she would be at home doing her own things. But before Jackson left for England he would always drag her along. Then when he left, she sort of just stayed. It was just familiar. _Not that she missed Jackson the asshole or anything._

“Everything okay?” Lydia said walking over to the love seat that sat across from the couch Isaac was on.

“No.” Isaac responded but he didn’t continue. They sat in silence for a few moments.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked again.

“No.”

Lydia couldn’t meet eyes with Isaac but she knew he was depressed.

“Is it Stiles?”

“Maybe.” Isaac said quietly. He spoke into the sleeve of his sweater, making his voice muffled.

“What happened?” Isaac could tell that Lydia was getting impatient so he broke.

“I felt like an ass all summer because I made Stiles leave, and now that he’s back he’s a different person. Last night it was normal for three seconds and then the kid was back to being all cold and broody. He almost stabbed me and then told me to leave.” Isaac said. “I guess we’re not in a relationship but at the same time we were pretty close, and now I don’t know if we can go back to that.”

Isaac paused catching his breathe.

“Continue.” Lydia said.

“And he’s different now, he’s not as clumsy and he’s a lot more quiet and I feel like if I don’t do something then he’s just going to…”

“Forget about you.” She finished the sentence.

They both sat there, basking in their lack of relationship luck, until Lydia’s eyes glimmered and she pulled out her phone.

“What are you doing?” Isaac said.

“Texting Allison.”

“Why?”

“Well, my tall curly haired roman statue, Stiles had spent the entire summer with Allison. That’s almost 60 days of yearning and pining from Stiles. She probably knows him best.” The girl flinched. “Well she probably knows the new Stiles the best.”

“How is that going to help?”

“We’ll just ask her what Stiles thinks about you.”

“She’ll tell us?” Isaac questioned. He swung his feet around the couch until he was sitting and fully alert.

Lydia sighed. “Girls aren’t always that difficult. Just ask, and you will receive.”

“Can I-“

“No.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the cool feedback and stuff like that guys. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it.   
> My tumblr is "WhatisaIsaac" if you wanna stay updated and follow cool Teen Wolf related things.  
> The next chapter of this story with be in a few days, I have already used up all my pre-written chapters, (because I had to smash together some parts to make it longer) so now I have to work on writing the new chapters.
> 
> So see you in a few days!   
> 6/27/2013


	3. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened in Rome didn't stay in Rome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: SHITTY CHAPTER AHEAD.  
> EXPLANATION AHEAD

Chapter 3

Scott could hear Stiles heartbeat in the room. It was still rapid, but still so vaguely controlled. Almost as if it beat in a fast rhythmic symphony.  It off set him some. He had always found comfort in Stiles erratic heartbeat. It reminded him that everyone was allowed some distropy.

The werewolf opened the door to see Stiles lying on his floor, sprawled against the sharp carpet. 

“Stiles?”  Scott asked taking a few steps into the room and closing the door behind him.

“Yeah?” He responded not meeting his eyes.

“Not that you aren’t welcome or anything, but why are you in my room?” Scott shook his head. “Actually, how did you get in my room? I was downstairs the whole time and I didn’t even see you come in.”

“The window.” Stiles lazily pointed to it. “You guys are the only ones that use them.”

“Alright then,” Scott said taking a look outside his window.  It was a 20 foot drop to grass. “Why do I have the pleasure of your company?”

“Bro-time.” Stiles said pushing himself onto his elbows. “I need you to distract me.”

“From what?” Scott said taking a seat on the floor in front of his mattress.

“Doesn’t matter. Do you want to play Bioshock or Call of Duty?” The lanky boy said.

“Call of Duty.” He said dropping the subject. Their friendship seemed to be different. Scott was treading lightly because of his fear of losing his best friend.

Stiles took his seat next to Scott and handed him the controller. Once the Xbox was turned on, the both of them waited for the screen to load.

 “Is it Isaac?” He asked.

“No.” Stiles heartbeat remained the same, not missing a beat. He was telling the truth. Scott sighed. He had given up.

But Scott didn’t see the smirk on Stiles face. He had lied without being caught.

________________________________________________________________________________

“Things?” Isaac asked as he leaned up against the wood of Allison’s house. “What do you mean things?”

“I can’t really say ok. If Stiles wants to tell you then he’ll tell you.” Allison said.

“Well, what about the night he came back? He had all those  weapons, and then yesterday he was throwing knives?” Isaac said. He was beginning to get skeptical.

“You’re not telling us something.” Lydia said as she rubbed her nail beds.

Allison just crossed her legs and stayed seated on the bench that sat on her porch.

“Rome wasn’t a vacation.” Allison said. “It was a training sight. One of the biggest ones in the world. It’s were the send all the recruits. They had sent Kate there, my Dad, even Gerard. It’s honor mostly. You’re privileged to be there.”

She paused looking away into the street.

“Well I was next in line and because our family line didn’t have another son, my dad reached out to Stiles.”

“Why Stiles?” Isaac said.

“Because what _your_ pack seems to not understand is that Stiles is strong. He was mentally strong, and smart too. He’s a strategizer and he can execute plans.” Allison knew that her statement came off as aggressive but she didn’t care. “You’re entered as a pair. I was with Stiles every single minute we were gone. At the end of the 4 weeks we get reviewed by the council, to see if we made it or not. Stiles wanted to be a hunter. He wanted power so badly. Power that he was denied from here. But he got dismissed.”

“Dismissed?” Lydia said.

“He was disqualified. He had no chance at being a hunter.”

“Why?” Isaac said.

Allison paused again.  Drawing her hands to her mouth.

“You.” Allison said. “They dismissed him because he loves you.”

___________________________________________________________________________

Scott had fallen asleep on his bed. They had accomplished 4 hours of non-stop gameplay. Scott still dominated every single match that they played, but Stiles was never discouraged to play him again. Merely being in the boy’s presence made him more comfortable. Made his shoulders more relaxed. Made him look over his shoulder less. It was nice to be back to normal.  But of course for Stiles, there was never normal.

Stiles grabbed his phone off of the dresser that sat on the side of the room and quietly made his way out the door. He was exhausted. His eyes drooped slightly, and his feet softly dragged against the stairs. Yet Ms. McCall must have been asleep because he made it to the door without seeing anyone.

The driveway to Stiles house lacked a police cruiser which meant that he was going to be home alone.

He opened the door and slid onto the tile that was cold against his feet. But there was something off. There was a disturbance. Everything was in the same place as he had left it, but he could sense a presence.

He became immediately alert, almost as a natural instinct. He flattened himself against the wall of his hallways, slowly shuffling towards the kitchen. Kitchens have knives, Knives mean protection. But he knew that the invader was probably in his room from the way the floor quietly cracked and moaned above his head.

He made it to the drawer and pulled out a knife that was smaller than his palm.

_Knives that are bigger and longer require more direct contact. The less contact the less chance of dying._

The words kicked into his brain. They weren’t his own.

He carefully walked up the stairs. They must have known that Stiles was approaching because of the eerie silence that had quickly consumed the upstairs.

The halls were dark. He could have turned on the lights but he knew that the dim darkness would help conceal his position. He silently tip-toed down the hall until he heard a loud crash. Then he jumped into the doorway of his room.

There was no one.

But there was something. A message, that had been scrawled on his mirror in red paint. No. Blood. Stiles read it slowly.

_‘We aren’t done yet.’_

__________________________________________________________________

 

Isaac was already through the window when the smell drafted through the house and into his noise. His feet landed against the soft carpet and his eyes flashed yellow.

“WHERE ARE THEY?” He yelled. His voice echoing through the house.

Stiles turned around from where he was standing, facing the mirror as if it were possessing him. It looked like he  had tried to wipe it away,  but for some reason it was staying clearly written on the surface.

“They- They aren’t here.” He said quietly. “They’re gone. The only thing that’s left is this.” He motioned to the blood.

Isaac read it and the quickly surveyed Stiles.

“Is it yours?” He asked grabbed Stiles arms looking for a wound.

“No. It’s not my dad’s either, I already called him.”

Isaac pulled Stiles into his chest. It was the first time that they had an intimate contact since he got back.

“I thought it was yours, Isaac.” Stiles whispered.

Isaac’s stomach clenched. A feeling of unease washed across him.

Stiles was genuinely worried about him. The boy just held onto the other and they found themselves laying down, still wrapped up in one another. Stiles heartbeat jumped and stuttered just like his old one.

After a few hours it returned back to its controlled rhythm. Isaac finally spoke.

“Tell me what happened.” Isaac said.

Stiles stayed quiet. “Nothing happened.” Stiles said. He pulled away Isaac, leaving the cold night air to chill the skin that was pressed against the werewolf’s hot skin.

Stiles shifted to his side with his back facing Isaac. He knew what he was doing. Spacing himself out. If he didn’t acknowledge it, he wouldn’t have to deal with it.

But Isaac’s hand slid across the bed and found its way around Stiles shoulder. Then Isaac’s body followed and they were back to that close vicinity. Stiles could tell by Isaac’s heavy sigh that he already knew.

“Who told you?” Stiles asked, still turned away. The curly haired boy jarred his head in between Stiles shoulder blades and that was where it was settled, giving off warm breathes down Stiles’ spine.

“Allison.” Isaac said, his voice was quiet, he was trying his best not to scare Stiles away. He needed him more than ever.

It was Stiles turn to sigh, and Stiles rolled over and buried his head in the corner of Isaac’s neck, pulling his body as close to the other’s as possible.

“It was the final test.”  Stiles began. “I did everything and more. I trained and trained and trained. I left my old self behind. I kept my mouth shut. I did better than anyone there. Allison and I stood at the top. We were legends because of our progress.

“But it was the final test. They said it was the easiest part of it all. They train you to kill. It should have been easy. “ Stiles gulped. “So we set out at dawn, and it only took a few hours. Allison and I were split up because they wanted to see how we would do individually.

“There was a werewolf, you could tell because werewolf’s gave off higher heat index’s which meant that thy were trackable with Infrared sensors. He was tall, and blonde, and he had curly hair. I had my gun out. I had him backed against a tree. I was ready to finish him. But I hesitated. He looked just like you, Isaac. So, I didn’t kill him.”

Isaac just sat silent, listening to Stiles’ words.

“I came back empty handed, and I was forced to tell them the truth.” Stiles finished. “But that wasn’t the end, they swore they would pay me back for my betrayal to the hunters. Of course there in Rome it’s unheard of for a human to fall in love with a werewolf. I was a disgrace.

“They beat me, almost to death. Allison begged them to stop. She promised them that she would make me abandon the hunter’s code once she brought me back home. The council doesn’t work like that though. So they told me that I had head start. That they aren’t done yet.

“They won’t get you.” Isaac said.

“I know, but  that-“ Stiles pointed to the mirror.  “Means that they still have intentions to finish me off.”

Stiles sighed again. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt in the process. This only involves me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I lost all motivation to write anything for this work. It was sad, but I just wrote through it, I guess.   
> But fortunately 3x05 gave me good motivation so get ready for a great story line ahead. It's all planned out and everything.   
> So thank you for reading through this chapter, it's setting some groundwork for a lot of things to come.   
> Get ready for some new characters and new conflicts and some scandalous revenge.  
> Ok enough spoilers.  
> Thanks for sticking around and leaving kudos and comments. It actually also motivated me to keep writing too.  
> Alright see you guys next Monday/Tuesday.  
> :)


	5. New Year, New me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School begins and things are revealed.

_Love._

Isaac didn’t know what love meant. Well, he had a general idea of what love is supposed to be but he never knew what it meant to him. Love wasn’t anxiety filled nights in the box from his father. Love wasn’t the isolation and carelessness from his brother. Maybe Derek loved Isaac. Platonically, of course. But maybe Derek didn’t love him.  Maybe Derek just felt bad for the things that Isaac had gone through. Scott didn’t love Isaac, although he trusted Isaac and cared for him.  There was a difference.

So if nobody loved Isaac, Why would Stiles?

It was mentioned twice already. Stiles _loved_ Isaac.

Now there was no doubt in Isaac’s mind that he cared for Stiles, but he didn’t know if he loved him. Isaac would jump in front of a train and take hundreds of wolfs bane bullets for Stiles. But wait.

Isn’t that love? Caring for someone so much that you would give your own life?

Yet even after Isaac sat staring out the window that overlooked the forest from the classroom, He concluded that maybe he loved without love. That maybe the feelings that he has for Stiles, the ones that slowly creeped into the back of his brain, are much bigger than what the word ‘ _love_ ’ could ever imply.

__________________________________________________________________

School had begun and the halls buzzed as they had before summer began. It was a peculiar place. Hundreds and hundreds of kids stuck in a building for six hours. Learning useless lessons only to get a useless job and then to die a useless death.

Everyone’s life was so mundane, so extravagantly human. The majority of these students, the lucky ones, didn’t know what werewolves were, they never had to crawl two miles because both of their legs were broken, and they never had to wake up with nightmares of vampires, and kanimas, and serial killers.

So maybe the mundane life was useless, but it was sheltered. It’s better to have a roof over your head when the shit comes pouring down on you.

Stiles was supposed to be normal. He could have been like all these other kids. Living with no worries only going through the motions. Scott could have been too. The both of them could have been completely normal. Nothing that would set them apart. They would go to college, and get a useless job, and get a family, and live a completely sheltered life.

But Stiles doesn’t regret his decisions. He hoped that Scott didn’t either because even if he did, there was no changing something that was already done.

Stiles walked through the doors and spotted Allison and Lydia who stood near their lockers. He made his way over to them and leaned against the metal.

“Hey.” He said casually.

“Hey, Are you ready to be back at school?” Allison said. But in reality that mean _‘Are_ you _ready to give up everything and go back to being the old Stiles?’_

Well, maybe Stiles was being a little over dramatic. But it was a question that needed to be answer whether the girl implied it or not.

“Yeah, a little bit. New year, New me. You know?” Stiles said.

“Your clothes definitely have changed juristically.” Lydia said with a smile. “You’ve gone from lanky mismatched boy to hunky man.”

“The offer still stands Lydia! If you ever  want to make out, I’m always ready-“ Stiles began with a grin on his face.

“You know Stiles, even though you are far more attractive than _you should be_. I’m going to have to pass up that offer.” She cupped his chin in her hand and turned his head towards a group of guys that stood across the hall.

“I am ready for some fresh-men.” Lydia said.

“Lydia they’re like 14.” Allison said as she shuffled into her locker grabbing books.

“Opportunity is glowing, my dear.” She turned her back to us and then began to walk towards the boys. “Not everyone wants to be hung up on an ex.” And with that she was gone. Disappearing into the swarming students that walked in crowds.

“She still not over Jackson?” Stiles asked.

“Nope. But she has a weird slutty way of trying to get over him.”

“What about you and Scott?” Stiles asked, his voice trailing higher.

“What about me and Scott? There’s nothing.” She said.

“Oh.” Stiles said. “Well, that’s too bad for him.”

Allison smiled and the closed her locker. They both began to walk to their language arts class.

Stiles knew that he was treading on a thin line. His friendship between Scott was unsure, and his connection to Allison seemed to be the new deal. You don’t spend an entire month in Rome with someone and not learn to like them.

“Hey I need to talk to you about something.” Stiles said. His voice only a whisper. “They declared.”

Allison stopped in her tracks, causing an eruption of grunts and insults from the people walking behind her. With wild eyes, Allison grabbed Stiles hand and pulled him into a storage closet that was near them. Once the door was closed she began to talk.

“What do you mean declared?” Allison said.

“They wrote ‘We aren’t done yet.’ On my mirror.” Stiles paused. “In my house … In my room, actually.”

“Shit!” Allison said as she grabbed her temples. “I thought they said they were going to leave you alone!”

“Well..” Stiles began. “They said they’d give me a head-start.”

Allison let out a shriek. “Stiles why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s fine, I-“

“NO! It’s not fine.  Your way too important to me to let you just wait for them to kill you.” Allison angrily said.

“What do we do?” Stiles said.

“There’s nothing-“Allison stopped in her sentence. Her face lit up with a smile. “There’s something we can do!”

“What?” Stiles asked.

“It’s too much to explain.” She opened the door and pulled Stile by his wrist. “I’ll tell you later.”

Then Allison was off down the hall, pulling out her phone and pushing open the door.

She was gone. Leaving Stiles alone in the hallway.

______________________________________

 

Scott had made himself comfortable in the passenger seat of Stiles jeep. The august air was warm and humid. Stiles attempts at trying to turn on the air conditioning was unsuccessful, so they sat, clothes clinging to their sweaty skin as they sat in the unforgiving traffic, with a load of groceries sitting in the back seat

“Why did your dad make us go all the way downtown to get groceries, the mini-mart two blocks from our house is just fine?” Scott complained.

“I don’t know. I think he just wants me to spend more time with people other than Isaac and those throwing knives.”

“He saw you throwing the knives?”

“Yeah, nearly had a heart attack. But I talked him through it. I’m a lot better at it than he thinks I am.”

Stiles sat still panting at the heat.

“So how are you and Isaac?” Scott said.

Stiles paused.

“Fine.”

“Are you sure?” Scott said again. Of course he wasn’t going to give up until he said something about the topic.

“Well, if you’re implying that we are in anything but a non-platonic relationship then you are wrong.” Stiles said. “We’re just friends.”

“Who make out and sleep together?” Scott said with a smirk.

“First of all I don’t know how you came to the conclusion that we were partaking in either of those acts. You can’t prove that Isaac and I have kissed or anything like that because we don’t.” Stiles lied.

“How did you do that?” Scott said jumping from where his seat was lounging.

“Do what?” Stiles asked.

“Your heartbeat stayed the same. It’s almost like you were telling the truth.”

“I am telling the truth. But why are you so sure that Isaac and I are something more?” Stiles said resting his head on his steering wheel.

“Well, I did see you guys making out during spring break, and by the lack of Isaac’s presence during the past few nights since you’ve been back, I can assume that he wasn’t playing night golf.”

“Why were you watching us make out?” Stiles asked.

“I wasn’t. But since you just told me that you’re sexing up my friend I guess I’ll just have to take it as it is.”

Stiles sighed while Scott laughed.

He felt like an idiot. He fell for Scott’s stupid psychological reverse shit.

“We aren’t dating, and we haven’t ‘slept together’, unless you mean by the literal _passing out from exhaustion and snoring_ sleeping then that is a yes because we have been doing that.”

“How did you lie?” Scott said.

“It was just something I-“

“Picked up from Rome?” The werewolf finished his sentence. “I don’t know how I feel about you being a hunter.”

There was a few seconds of silence.

“I’m not a hunter.” Stiles corrected immediately. “I mean, I guess I’m just as good as any hunter but I’m just not one to begin with. Wait? How did you know about that?”

“Isaac told me.” Scott said. “

“You guys must spend a lot of time together then.” Stiles said absentmindedly.

“You could say that.” Scott said, but his eyes widened at the statement and he emitted a small gasp.

“What do you mean by that?” Stiles said. That statement sounded odd.

“Nothing.” Scott said.

Stiles let the topic drop, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t snoop around about it later.

“Wait. Why would it be a problem if I were really a hunter?” Stiles said. The comment had resurfaced in his brain.

“I don’t know. You being strong sort of just off balances things. Well, I mean. You’re not that strong, but even at that it’s sort of just weird.”

“So I’m always supposed to be the Damsel in Distress?” Stiles said angrily. “Oh that’s just Stiles, he’s weak and he’s useless so don’t worry about him.”

Scott realized that his statement pissed Stiles off.

“No, It’s not that I mean-“

“It’s perfectly fine, Scott. I understood it the first time you said it.” Stiles said as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Scott sighed feeling defeated. The rest of the car ride was silent.

In Stiles mind he felt like he was back to where he was before he left Rome. They still saw him as the weak frail human who was nothing more than a comic relief for when things become tough. He needed to work harder to be stronger. He needed to train more. He needed power.

_______________________________

“I don’t know what to do.” Isaac stated. “I have this overwhelming need to protect Stiles, but I don’t know if I … love him.”

Derek lounged on the chair, his feet hiked up onto the coffee table.

“There’s a difference between wanting someone to be safe, and loving someone, Isaac. That’s perfectly fine.” He said smoothly.

Derek was surprisingly soft when it came to giving out advice about things, even relationship advice. It was actually really good advice. Not really something you would expect from him. Maybe somewhere deep inside Derek there was something a lot more than ashes and lost memories.

“But I’m pretty sure I love him.” Isaac said. “Maybe I’m just overthinking this.”

“You are.” Derek simply added. “I don’t think you’ve ever felt love … erhm … in a relationship before. Maybe you’re just charting unknown territory through your feelings and you don’t know what to define it.”

“So what do I do?” Isaac asked.

“That’s not really a question I can answer, but I think you should tell Stiles how you feel. Whether or not it’s love or if he’s just comfortable to be around.”

“It’s been kind of hard to talk to him lately.” Isaac said.

“I know. I’ve never liked the Argents pulling that in the first place. It wasn’t their place to step in on my pack.” Derek said.

“Wait. Is Stiles Pack?” Isaac asked. Of course Stiles was treated like family. Well maybe not family. But nobody ever minded Stiles sitting in during pack meetings or his presence after their runs. Yet there was always a difference. He was always set apart. The Pack and Stiles.

“He’s your boyfriend, so by technicality he is sort of a part of it all.” The alpha said.

“We’re not boyfriends.” Isaac replied simply.

“Well, whatever you are, you come as a package deal. You guys have always sort of just become tied together no matter if you’re dating or not.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Listen, we have a pack meeting tonight. Just talk to him there.”

Isaac just nodded his head. He had to figure out where Stiles was placed in his life. How much did Stiles really mean to him?

____________________

Stiles dropped off an awkward Scott at his house and returned home. The sun had fallen between the mountain tops and the hot moist air turned into a cool still chill.

He didn’t really have any motivation to start his homework or talk to his dad so Stiles just went back to training. He did push-up on the carpet, followed by hundreds of pull-ups on the bar that was set up against his doorway. Then afterwards he dug into his bag to find a book that had hunting strategies and fighting techniques against the supernatural. It was all things that he had snuck out of Rome. Allison recommended a few books that he had already leafed through.

He was in the middle of learning about how to burn a witch when he heard a quiet thumping of footsteps near his window.

Isaac was here.

Stiles didn’t turn his head when he heard the familiar rumble of the window, nor when he heard the soft pad of footsteps that got closer and closer.

His eyes were kept glued to the page when Isaac stood unsure behind him. Isaac was breathing heavy, which meant that he had something on his mind.

“Hey.” Stiles said. Maybe Isaac was going to say something meaningful. Stiles whipped his chair around until he was facing the werewolf.

“Can I use your shower?” Isaac asked. But he was already stripping his clothes and opening the bathroom door that was connected to Stiles room.

“Sure.” Stiles muttered.

Isaac disappeared into the bathroom shutting the door behind him and turning on the hot water. Stiles spotted his phone, which sat slightly out of his pants that lay strewn on the floor. Stiles questioned whether or not he should do it. But he didn’t care. Isaac took super long showers anyway. Something about not having hot water as a kid.

Stiles opened the messages because that was the only thing that seemed vaguely interesting. His fingers scrolled through the messages until he made it to the most recent.

Scott: He almost found out.

Isaac: How?!!

Scott: It slipped!!! Well nt ‘it’ but almost

Isaac: Does he no?

Scott: No, bt I mean hes gonna find out eventually!

Isaac: I know. I just. It was a mistake ok.

Scott: I know.

Stiles exited from the app and turned the phone to sleep. He slid the phone back into Isaac’s pants and paced nervously.

Did Isaac cheat? Well. He guessed you can’t cheat in a not!relationship, but still.

The water turned off, and Stiles heart began to race. He would have to confront Isaac in a minute. He could hear him shuffling around on the tile floor and placing his hand on the door knob.

_____________________________________

 

Isaac opened the door keeping his eyes glued to the floor. He expected Stiles to be sitting in his computer chair where he left him.

“Stiles, I love you.” Isaac said, but when his eyes shot up to see the other boy’s response, the chair was empty. The entire room was empty.

Stiles was gone.

__________________________________

Stiles’ feet pounded against the forest floor. He knew that the shortcut would lead him to the house. He kept running, even though his chest rose and fell heavily. The soles of his feet were getting bruised and bloody but he kept running. Slamming his feet against the unforgiving forest floor.

Soon he was where he expected himself to be. Looking up he saw Allison, who blindly smiled at him.

“Allison-“Stiles started.

“Stiles, I have the solution.” She said pulling the barefooted boy onto the steps and into the house. “God, you look like you live in the forest.”

Stiles huffed.

Allison turned towards Stiles, fixed his hair, and pushed him through the door. He lost his footing and stumbled into the room. Only to be caught by a pair of MYSTERIOUS arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok. alright. 3x05 was CRAZY.  
> Get ready for a new character :-)  
> See you guys next monday/tuesday.  
> 7/8/2013


End file.
